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  © Copyright 2017 by Lizzie Swale - All rights reserved.

  In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

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  Author’s Note:

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. The author does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for third party websites or their content.

  RED HOT RANCH

  Contents

  RED HOT RANCH

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  BONUS BOOKS

  THE RANCHER’S LAKE HOUSE

  THE RANCH HAND

  The Cabin:RESCUE

  The Cabin: SEARCH

  The Cabin: DISCOVERY

  TAKEN BY THE MARINE 1

  TAKEN BY THE MARINE 2

  SECRET BILLIONAIRE

  ASSISTANT WANTED

  THE RANCHER

  BLIND DATE WITH THE PRESIDENT

  RED HOT RANCH

  CHAPTER ONE

  James was coming in from another long cattle drive, and he was beat. The help at the Rusty Spur Ranch had been stretched a little thin lately, so he wasn’t too excited to get back. All he wanted was his bunk and a hot shower. The plains of Nevada had been kind to them this go around, and James was having a hard time seeing the sense in going back at all.

  “Billy,” James said. “You know that when we get back, there is going to be all sorts of drama about how they need help with this or that. I reckon it’s best that we head straight out to mend fences when we get these cattle buttoned up in their corral.”

  James and Billy hadn’t chatted too much that day. Billy was having some of the same feelings of trepidation that James was about heading back. Both of them were sick of taking on extra duties when they were already working long, hard hours tending to the Rusty Spur Ranch’s herd. It wasn’t a herd so big that two expert cowboys like them couldn’t handle it, but it was sizable enough that it took up nearly all of their time.

  They didn’t appreciate coming back to the ranch to be told to run around doing this or that. Usually, the work to be done was house chores. And while neither James nor Billy was above helping out around the ranch, they didn’t like it when, last time back, they had to help sweep out the attic after coaxing the herd into their giant barbwire enclosure. Not that either of them was going to complain to Mr. Frederick about any of it.

  “Hey Billy,” James said. “Do you think we should talk to Mr. Frederick about how things been going around here as of late? Or should we just keep our mouths shut?”

  Billy spat out a long tendril of chew and stared off toward the ranch as he tugged his reins so that his horse drifted over next to James.

  “I think we should just do as we’re told,” Billy said. “I know that Mr. Frederick said that he didn’t let go of old splinter face because of his sass, but I know better.”

  Splinter Face was the nickname of a cowhand who’d been recently let go. The cowhand had caught shrapnel from an explosion that happened on a work site close to the ranch long before James or Billy had ever come to Rusty Spur Ranch. They’d never found out what had actually happened. Splinter face had been working in one of the nearby mines, and that’s about all he would say about it. There was a big part of James that thought the old cowhand simply didn’t know what had happened, but didn’t want to sound foolish. Mr. Frederick had kept splinter face on at the Rusty Spur Ranch for years, until recently when the old cowhand had started shooting off at the mouth about how the ranch could be run better.

  The Rusty Spur Ranch was only a few miles away now, and the other ranch hands were coming out to help herd the cattle into their fenced in pasture. James couldn’t help but feel relief to be back. This last drive had been a long one. They’d taken the cattle out to graze on a plain not far from the ranch, but then hail the size of marbles had fallen from the sky. Billy had the idea to swing the herd down and around some of the mesas further to the south, so that’s what they’d done.

  Now, closer to the Rusty Spur Ranch, they saw that there were other herds in new corrals full of cattle. Mr. Frederick was busy while they were gone. James was glad to see some more activity on ranch. Lately, things had seemed near stagnant and James and Billy had started to wonder if they needed to be concerned.

  “Hello boys,” Mr. Frederick said as he rode up to them on his old brown horse. “It’s good to see you coming back! I’d thought maybe we’d have to send out search parties.”

  James laughed.

  “That sure would be a knee jerk reaction, considering we’re only a few weeks late and the size of the herd!”

  James was on sound footing with Mr. Frederick because of how long he’d been working on the Rusty Spur Ranch with Billy. He and Billy had both come to the Rusty Spur Ranch looking for steady work years ago, and had created good rapport with the old rancher.

  “I know, I know boys,” Mr. Frederick said. “I get that you two have got things all strumming along nice and comfortable with the herd. You two love it out there so much, so I get the feeling you don’t exactly rush to get back here. How far out did you go, anyway?”

  “Just about to the small town south of the mesas,” Billy said. “Pretty far. I don’t think I’ve ever been that far before.”

  “We had to,” James said. “The way the weather turned on us we just couldn’t be out in it anymore.”

  Mr. Frederick nodded.

  “Well, you boys have eyes and can see that things here have expanded,” Mr. Frederick said. “And I just want you to know that we’ve hired on a few more hands. It’s not nearly as many as we need though. Needless to say, there will be a lot of new faces here soon. But for now, we’re going to have to make it work with what we’ve got.”

  James and Billy both nodded as they listened. Mr. Frederick talked more about how things had changed, but there was nothing that they couldn’t see on their own.

  Mr. Frederick finished explaining everything and turned his horse back toward the ranch house. James and Billy looked at each other, not knowing what to think. There were new people on the ranch now, and a few of them were hauling water across the yard—young women, something that the ranch hadn’t seen before.

  Now there would be a small society unto itself out here at the ranch. It wouldn’t be just a few cowboys. James was glad that things were changing. The pang of boredom often struck him in between the cattle drives.

  “I’ll be damned,” Billy said. “You know how Mr. Frederick doesn’t like change. It’s surprising that he’s all right with doing so much at once. I would never have taken him for such a man of action.”

  James laughed in agreement as they both tied their horses up.

  “You know,” James said. “I heard that he’s preparing for a lady to arrive here. Remember his New York trip? Apparently, he met some high society lady and rumor has it she’s making her way out to visit here. I reckon he’s trying to turn the business into
something more respectable so he can have her stay here.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Helen had been working in the kitchen all day. Although the ranch staff was nowhere near full complement, there was still a fair amount of mouths at the ranch, so she still had to hustle to keep up with the demand for food. There were more than ‘just a few cowboys out here’, as she’d first been told. She’d taken the job for the summer while she went to teacher’s college. The pay was good, and for Helen, that was really what mattered most. The job wasn’t going to be a forever thing, and she wasn’t willing to stress over it if the money she needed was there.

  What she hadn’t planned on was the two very tall, very good looking cowboys walking in as she, sweating, tried to stir a big pot of chili. Helen was a big girl, so she didn’t need any help, it was just that she had a physically demanding job. She was sure the cowboys could relate.

  “What can I do you fellas for?” Helen asked. “You must be the two that just brought the herd back. Which is which? I know your names are James and Billy.” Helen said, taking in the tall, fit physique of both the men. One was taller with blonde hair and a blonde beard. The shorter one had a long dark ponytail and piercing blue eyes. He also had a beards, but his was dark like coal.

  “I’m James,” the better-looking blonde one said as he took his hat off and held it in his hands. “I reckon that there is some kind of chow hall now.”

  “That’s right!” Helen said as she stepped away from the chili to speak with both of them. “And my name is Helen by the way.”

  James extended his hand, shaking Helen’s vigorously, yet letting his grasp linger. Helen met his blue eyes and could sense the lust in the man. It was strange to feel attractive when she was all gross from working hard, but she figured that might be what was attractive to James—seeing a voluptuous woman slave away at her chosen profession. Or at least what she was doing at the moment for her chosen profession.

  “Do you think you could help us out by telling us where in the world to go?” Billy asked.

  They all laughed at this. And while it hadn’t been a joke, it certainly broke the tension in the room. It was nice to laugh with the two men, Helen thought, and even better that both of them were treating her as an equal in their speech and mannerisms. The way that Mr. Frederick had talked about the two men had made them seem like dangerous rough and tumble cowboys. Mr. Frederick had told stories about the two men fighting off bandits when the Rusty Spur Ranch had first broken ground and some passing thieves had mistaken the ranch for an easy target.

  In her mind, Helen had built both men up to be much larger than they actually were, and had even made them mean. For some reason, she figured that both men would have a cantankerous demeanor. Most of the cowboys out here were infamous for being good at their jobs and bad at the rest of their lives.

  “The chow hall is the last building on the road out of here, the white one with the bell on top,” Helen said. “And it’s been a pleasure to meet both of you. Especially you, James.”

  “Much obliged,” James said, hiding his face in his hat as he returned it to his head and turned to walk out the door with Billy.

  “Don’t be a stranger!” Helen shouted as she turned back to prepare the evening meal.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “Well, she liked you!” Billy said.

  James knew that Billy was going to give him a hard time about it. That was just Billy’s way. He was probably jealous. After all, besides the Rusty Spur Ranch, neither of them had a whole lot of life experience. Sure, maybe back in school they’d fumbled around with a few girls. But it had been awhile since either of them had been with a woman. Billy didn’t seem to mind, but James knew that there was a part of himself that needed the female touch, and company.

  “She sure did,” James said. “Maybe I’ll talk to her again when I see her around. But I’ll give it a few days before I go looking for her. I wouldn’t want to give Mr. Frederick the wrong idea.”

  “What do you mean?” Billy asked.

  The afternoon was hot, but as the sun dipped into the horizon, the temperature dropped. A chilly wind was already blowing in from the plains.

  “He probably doesn’t want any drama from the women folk here. If I start messing around with the ladies, it could mess up a good thing here.”

  When they walked into the church turned chow hall they were greeted by a bubbly cute girl wearing a green velvet dress highlighting her perky breasts. A nice change from all the other women dressed like cowboys.

  “Name’s Josephine,” she said. “And I run the chow hall, and I’ll be doing your laundry.”

  Josephine was a traditionally attractive girl, with long hair, a slim figure, and blue eyes. It was clear that she was attracted to James, and that James was attracted to her as well. James could tell that Billy was more amused by the last fifteen minutes of their day than he had been the whole cattle drive they’d just returned from.

  “Well hello, Josephine,” James said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. It looks like we’re a little early. Should we just sit at the back table and wait?”

  “Do as you please, supper will be served shortly,” Josephine said, twirling on her heel and looking back at the cowboys flirtatiously as she walked away.

  James and Billy walked through the converted church to make it to the back table. The place looked nice, the inside was whitewashed and the pews served as benches for the long tables. Josephine had picked purple wildflowers and arranged them in jars along the tables.

  “Don’t,” James said just as Billy was about to speak. “I don’t want to get a hard time from you about this stuff. I can’t help that I’m ridiculously good looking.”

  In all reality, the two men looked a great deal alike, it was just that Billy walked with his shoulders slouched and a slump in his back. He rode his horse that way as well. James had a more classic posture, and was more muscular. James was the kind of guy that women looked at as he walked by. Billy was the kind of man that caught a woman’s eye upon second glance.

  “Aw, I’m not worried about any of it,” Billy said. “It’s just funny to see you squirm.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” James said. “I get it. But I’m just saying. We need to act cool, like none of this even raises our pulses. Mr. Frederick will be looking for us to be leaders. You know that. So, let’s lead by example and not play into the drama. The beautiful, tempting, soft, drama…”

  “Jeez,” Billy said. “I just said I’m sorry that all the girls like you and not me. I’m sorry James, I know it’s hard.”

  For a moment, James lifted one of his eyebrows so that it was cocked over his left eye, and then they both burst into laughter. It was funny to think that girls would fluster either of them. They were the two most trusted employees at the Rusty Spur Ranch, and that was something to be proud of.

  “Do you think we’re going to get raises, now that we have some seniority here?” Billy asked.

  “Hmmph. It’s hard to say. We sure as hell should, but who knows how thin the pocketbook has been stretched with all this unnecessary staff.” James responded.

  As supper went on, both men found themselves short for conversation with each other, and started listening to the other conversations buzzing around them. Many of the new men were complaining about having to mend the fences, something that James was thankful he wouldn’t be doing much of anymore, at least from the sounds of it.

  After supper had wrapped up, the two men headed toward what had been their old dwelling, a small shack near the ranch’s main house. They were glad to find that it was still there. James recalled seeing it when they’d rode in, but at this point, with all of the changes, he wasn’t willing to bet that that the things he liked would stay the same. He was pleasantly surprised to see that they had kept their old place, now they had separate rooms! Before they had lived in the same big room, but now Mr. Frederick had built a divider and furnished both sides a lot nicer than just a cot and a dusty rug.

  “Damn,” Billy
said as he surveyed their new abode. “This place got a lot better while we were away!”

  “It sure did,” James said, as he too did a quick lap around the newly furnished dwelling.

  Then someone knocked on the door.

  “Hello, James.”

  It was Mr. Frederick. He walked in and sat down on one of the chairs in the common area right in front of the divider that separated the two sides.

  “Well, as you both might have reasoned,” Mr. Frederick started. “You’re both being promoted to foreman. That means more money, and you also get to live in what I’m calling the foremen’s quarters. I figured both of you have worked so long here now that you deserve some very real recognition for what you do.”

  Mr. Frederick stood up, signaling that he was done speaking. He wasn’t much for small talk, so when he nodded and shook both of their hands, then took his leave for the evening, neither were surprised.

  “Well I’ll be God damned,” Billy said. “A raise and everything! Promotion! My daddy wouldn’t believe it even if I wrote and told him about it. Would yours?”

  “You know what, I doubt he’d even believe I’m still alive!” James said. “When I left home he kept telling me how big and bad the world was, and how I wasn’t going to make it. And that was how many years ago? I can’t even remember. So, by now I figure he reckons me long gone.”

  Billy chuckled as he sat down on his bed. Even with the divider they were still going to be living without much privacy.

  “My daddy wouldn’t believe this in a million years,” Billy said.

  James laid down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. He already missed the stars that would have been overhead out on the plain. As he slipped into sleep, he realized that he still had all of his clothes on, but by that time the tug of sleep was too strong to keep from being pulled under.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Helen wasn’t done cleaning dishes and squaring away the kitchen until late into the night. That’s how it usually went. She’d known what she was getting into when she’d signed up to come out here and work on the Rusty Spur Ranch. There were the early mornings to hate, the busy lunches to dread, and the late dinners to loathe. But Helen didn’t feel anything but lucky to be a part of the ranch for the summer.